The present invention relates generally to bicycles and, more particularly, to a bicycle spoke and wheel assembly constructed for operation with such a spoke.
A bicycle wheel generally consists of a rim oriented concentrically about a wheel hub. A number of spokes generally extend between the rim and the hub and communicate loading forces therebetween. The weight of a rider is communicated through a frame of the bicycle to the hubs of the wheels. From the hubs, the weight of the rider is communicated to the rims, and the road, by the spokes. During operation of the bicycle, the tangential loading of the tires associated with the tires engagement with a ground surface, is communicated to the frame via the spoked connection between the rim and the hub.
The number, construction, and orientation of the spokes directly relates to the performance and strength of the resultant wheel. A normal bicycle wheel generally includes 32 to 36 spokes that extend radially between the hub and the rim. Typically, a higher number of spokes correlates to a greater wheel strength and a fewer number of spokes correlates to a lighter wheel assembly as well as improved aerodynamic performance of the wheel. Although simply reducing the number of spokes would result in a lighter wheel assembly, a wheel having a lower than normal spoke count must still be constructed to support the loads associated with operation of the bicycle. Failure to do so would result in premature, if not total failure, of the wheel during operation.
Although others have provided wheel assemblies having lower than normal spoke counts, these systems are not without their drawbacks. In addition to the weight and aerodynamic considerations discussed above, providing fewer total spokes and increasing the size of the fewer spokes, also effects the efficient operation of the bicycle. As generally understood, more force is required to accelerate a unit of mass located on a wheel than on a frame. That is, because the wheel must rotate as well as translate during operation of the bicycle, energy of the rider must be utilized to accelerate and decelerate the wheel. Accordingly, providing a reduced spoke count wheel assembly that includes additional securing systems or components to secure each of the fewer spokes to the hub and rim detrimentally affects rider efficiency. Furthermore, such features further complicate the construction and/or assembly of the respective wheels.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a spoke, bicycle wheel assembly, and method of providing a bicycle wheel that is robust, enhances the aerodynamic performance of the wheel assembly, and does not detrimentally affect rider efficiency or manufacturing processes or assembly.